Men’s Rugby Club Predictions – Week of Feb 28, 2015

Carolina Rugby Union

Charleston Rugby Club (2-4) at Charlotte Rugby Club (6-1)

Charlotte Rugby Club will be hosting Charleston Rugby this weekend. Charlotte is coming off a close win, that took a late defensive stop to prevent an underwhelming Atlanta Renegades team from taking an upset win over Charlotte. One could connect Charlotte’s struggles to the bye week on February 14th. Don’t expect Charlotte to have the same struggles against Charleston Rugby. I look for Charlotte Rugby to win.

Atlanta Renegades Rugby Club (1-4) at Greenville Rugby Club (5-1)

Atlanta Renegades will be traveling to South Carolina to take on Greenville. Renegades had a hard fought battle with Charlotte last week, losing 25-20 in the last seconds of the game. Greenville has been absolutely dominate this season. Highlight this season was a season high score, 73-17, win over Fort Bragg last week. A game in which the Forwards completely took over the game. Look for Greenville to take the win in this game.

Ft. Bragg Rugby Club (0-5) at Atlanta Old White Rugby Club (3-1)

Atlanta Old White will play host to Ft. Bragg. Ft. Bragg hasn’t been competitive at all this season. The one advantage they will have in this match is that Atlanta Old White hasn’t played a 15s match in 3 weeks, though they were participants in the Las Vegas Sevens Invitational. Look for Atlanta Old White to not get exploited by the time off from 15s play and take the win in this match.

Courtesy of Jacksonville Rugby Football Club
Courtesy of Jacksonville Rugby Football Club; Valerie L. Cason Photography

Florida Rugby Union

Jacksonville Rugby Club (5-1) at Miami Tridents (3-3)

Jacksonville is playing some of it’s best Rugby at this point in the season. Winning a close game over Orlando, Jacksonville is looking to close the last 5 weeks of the regular season in strong fashion. Though the Miami Tridents have been up and down, there losses have been against two of the best teams in the league in Boca Raton and Ft. Lauderdale. The Tridents have done an excellent job in beating the teams they are supposed to beat, but have yet to show competition against better teams. With that being said, I will look for this match to be a close battle as Jacksonville travels down to Miami, but look for Jacksonville to take the win in this match.

Tampa Bay Krewe  (0-6) at Ft. Lauderdale Rugby Club (4-2)

What can you say about this game? Ft. Lauderdale has been played very well this season. They went head to head with Boca Raton, arguably the best team in the league right now, and only lost by a conversion. Ft. Lauderdale also lost to a dark horse Orlando team. Ft. Lauderdale has shown that when they are on top of their game, they are capable of playing with anyone in the Union. Tampa Bay has not been in that position. Tampa Bay has been the bottom of the league and hasn’t shown any chance of change. Look for Ft. Lauderdale to take this game.

Boca Raton Rugby Club (6-0) at Orlando Rugby Club (4-2)

This is probably the best match-up this weekend for the Florida Rugby Union. Boca Raton has established itself as the best team in the league at this point in the season. Boca Raton has shown that it has an impressive ability to close out games. Despite the fact, Boca Raton has shown vulnerabilities, such as a close win over a underwhelming Miami Rugby Club, 24-22. It also had a tough battle against a proficient Ft. Lauderdale team winning, 32-30. Orlando has shown to be capable of playing tough as well. Their two losses against Jacksonville and the Miami Trident have shown that Orlando still has work to do. Orlando is a strong team that will put up a strong fight against Boca Raton. I look for Orlando to take the first win and upset over Boca Raton in this game.

Naples Rugby Club (1-5) at Miami Rugby Club (1-5)

These two teams have not had great seasons so far. Though the have shown flash points of tough play, they have not been able to turn it over. Of the two teams, Miami Rugby has shown just a little more toughness against tougher teams. Look for Miami to take this win.

True South Rugby Union

Chattanooga Rugby Club (2-0) at Memphis Rugby Club (1-0)

Chattanooga heads to Memphis this weekend to start their Spring matrix season after postponing their game last week due to poor weather. Memphis has played decent at the start of this season, getting a win over Hopkinsville and tie game against Nashville. Chattanooga is looking to defend their True South Championship. Look for Chattanooga to take this win.

Baton Rouge Rugby Club vs. Jackson Rugby Club
Baton Rouge Rugby Club vs. Jackson Rugby Club

 

Battleship Rugby Club (0-3) at Jackson Rugby Club (0-3)

Jackson played a tough game against Baton Rouge last weekend, losing late in the game. Battleship had a tough game against Birmingham last weekend. Both these teams suffer from the same issue of not being able to finish games strong. These two teams are fairly well evenly matched up. Look for this to be a very very tight game. I expect Battleship to get their first win of the season in this game.

Baton Rouge Rugby Club (2-0) at Montgomery Rugby Club (2-1)

Baton Rouge faces off against an amped up Montgomery team who have started the Spring season with wins over Battleship and Jackson. Montgomery will be facing their toughest test since playing Birmingham in the Fall. Baton Rouge played an underwhelming match last week against Jackson. Despite the fact they were able to win in the last part of the second half of the game. While Baton Rouge has the talent to take the game, team chemistry and discipline will be what determines whether they will win. Montgomery is a tough team that is looking to prove itself in the division II level. Look for Baton Rouge to take the close win in this game.

Knoxville Rugby Club (0-1) at Hopkinsville Rugby Club (0-2)

Knoxville Rugby will be traveling out to take on Hopkinsville. Hopkinsville took their second matrix loss against Memphis losing 37-15. Knoxville will opening their spring season, with their only loss coming against True South defending champs, Chattanooga. Knoxville has shown to be a strong power team, using their forwards and backs as a battering ram towards the goal-line. Hopkinsville still has yet to show real consistency in their offensive prowess. Look for Knoxville to take this win on the road against Hopkinsville.

 

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